The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is accepting public comment through Aug. 26 on a petition to update federal regulations to allow use of nuclear power plant decommissioning trust funds for removal of large parts prior to shutdown.
The NRC in March docketed the petition from Gerard Van Noordennen, vice president for regulatory affairs at nuclear services firm EnergySolutions, representing his employer.
Under current federal regulations, nuclear power plant operators must receive an NRC exemption to use the mandatory trusts for work not directly related to decommissioning – removing a facility from operations and reducing radioactivity levels to the point at which the property can be placed in restricted or unrestricted use. Decommissioning starts only after power operations end.
“The petitioner suggests that granting the petition will remove unnecessary hurdles from licensees who store major radioactive components on their sites during plant operations because they cannot use decommissioning funds for disposal of these components,” the NRC said in a Federal Register notice Wednesday. “Storing these components on site results in costs to build and maintain storage structures and to monitor for releases and exposures.”
The agency is asking for responses to four specific questions: What are the pluses and minuses of the current regulatory situation, under which NRC licensees can employ operating funds for pre-shutdown removal of major radioactive components or wait until decommissioning begins to use a trust; should decommissioning trusts be allowed for pre-closure major parts removal; what criteria the NRC should consider for licensees’ early use of decommissioning trusts; and if other “innovative financial approaches” could provide for early removal of large parts and sustain sufficient levels in decommissioning trusts.
Comments can be submitted by email to [email protected]; by fax to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 301-415-1101; by mail to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff; or in person to NRC headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Md.
Staff will ultimately recommend to the commission whether to proceed with a rulemaking.
